Types of Soils

The ground on which we walk is never quite the same, it keeps on changing. Sometimes it is made up of millions of tiny granules and other times it is the hard surface of tar covered roads. There was a time long back when this ground was mostly covered with soil and grass. And then came the roads, rails and so on. This soil is a very broad term and refers to a loose layer of Earth that covers the surface of the planet.

Soil is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Earth’s body of soil, called the pedosphere, has four important functions:

• as a medium for plant growth.
• as a means of water storage, supply and purification.
• as a modifier of Earth’s atmosphere.
• as a habitat for organisms.

All of these functions, in their turn, modify the soil.

Types of Soils:

There are many types of soils, usually placed in classes (types) based on their colour, profile, texture, composition or structure. Each soil type is formed differently and can be found in specific places on the Earth’s immediate surface, mid and deep under the surface.

Soil can be categorized into sand, clay, silt, peat, chalk and loam types of soil based on the dominating size of the particles within a soil.

Types of human species	Types of human species	Types of human species
Sandy Soil	1. Free-draining soil. 2. Gritty to the touch. 3. Warms up quickly in spring. 4. Easy to cultivate. 5. Dries out rapidly. 6. May lack nutrients, which are easily washed through the soil in wet weather (often called a “hungry” soil).	1. Root vegetables, including turnips, parsnips. 2. Carrots 3. Pomegranate 4. Fig trees
Clay Soil	1. Feels lumpy and sticky when very wet. 2. Rock-hard when dry. 3. Clay drains poorly. 4. Few air spaces. 5. Warms slowly in spring. 6. Heavy to cultivate. 7. If drainage is improved, plants grow well as it holds more nutrients than many other soils.	1. Lettuce 2. Chard 3. Snap beans 4. Other crops with shallow roots.
Silt Soil	1. Smooth and soapy to the touch. 2. Well-drained soil. 3. Retains moisture. 4. Richer in nutrients (more fertile) than sandy soil. 5. Easier to cultivate than clay. 6. Heavier than sand. 7. Soil structure is weak and easily compacted. 8. A very good soil if well managed.	1. Shrubs 2. Climbers 3. Grasses 4. Perennials such as Mahonia, New Zealand flax 5. Lettuce 6. Cabbage
Peat Soil	1. Contains a much higher proportion of organic matter (peat) because the soil’s acidic nature inhibits decomposition, but this means there are few nutrients. 2. Dark in colour. 3. Warms up quickly in spring. 4. Highly water retentive and may require drainage if the water table is near the surface. 5. Fantastic for plant growth if fertiliser is added.	1. Red gram 2. Bengal gram 3. Green gram 4. Groundnut 5. Castor seed 6. Ragi 7. Maize
Loamy Soil	1. The perfect soil. 2. Good structure. 3. Drains well. 4. Retains moisture. 5. Full of nutrients. 6. Easy to cultivate. 7. Warms up quickly in spring and doesn’t dry out in summer. 8. Consider yourself very lucky if you have this soil.	1. Carrots 2. Beets 3. Leafy vegetables 4. Tomatoes 5. Peppers 6. Green beans
Chalk Soil	1. Alkaline, with a pH of 7.5 or more. 2. Usually stony. 3. Free draining. 4. Often overlays chalk or limestone bedrock. 5. This means some minerals, such as manganese (Mg) and iron (Fe), become unavailable to plants, causing poor growth and yellowing of leaves. 6. This can be remedied by adding fertilisers.	1. Sweet corn 2. Beets 3. Spinach 4. Cabbage

Soil Pollution:

We learned about the types of soils and how essential they are for life on Earth.

Unfortunately, soils are under threat in many ways, from excessive farming practices, use of chemicals during agricultural practices, water, land and air pollution, erosion and so on.

These upset the natural function of soils and affect many ecosystems that depend on it for survival.

There are two main causes through which soil pollution is generated:

Soil Conservation:

Soil conservation is very important. It is the actions we can take, or things we can apply to our use of soils and lands to ensure their sustained health and quality.

Here are a few ways of soil conservation:

Uses:

• Soil is used in agriculture, where it serves as the anchor and primary nutrient base for plants.
• Soil material is also a critical component in the mining, construction and landscape development industries.
• Organic soils, especially peat, serve as a significant fuel resource.
• Both animals and human cultures occasionally consume soil for medicinal, recreational, or religious purposes.

Interesting Facts::

• Loamy soil is called as the gardener’s best friend.
• The amount of sand, clay and silt is what gives different soil types their various textures. Most soils are a mix of all three.
• Worms enrich topsoil by feeding on organic material in the soil and converting it into nutrients for plants. As they move through the soil it becomes more absorbent and better aerated too.
• Soil is at the bottom of the food chain, yet it is the cornerstone of life on earth.
• Soil acts as a filter for underground water, filtering out pollutants.